Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Responding to Jack Haberer's response

Jack Haberer has answered his critics in the comment section
of his posting, “…
with those who weep.” He did give praise to Presbyterians Pro Life and One
by One for which I am very grateful. He also places his faith squarely with the
Evangelicals. For that I am thankful

Haberer then gives a history of some of the work of the
Presbyterian Coalition and Presbyterians for Renewal. The Presbyterian Forum makes
it into the history with its founders Rev. Bob Dooling and Rev. Bob Davis. They,
according to Haberer, corrected an error he had made which was basically failing
to continue with the political arm of renewal, an arm that he says is now
missing in most of the renewal groups.

He is right about the latter, but there is a reason and I
believe a better answer then he gives. I will write about that at the end of
this posting.

I did not enter renewal work until around 1999-2000; I am
not quite sure of the dating but Haberer’s history is new to me. However there
is a history that I know very well and it leads me to believe that it was not
an absence of renewal people or their politics and votes that began the
downward spiral but rather the work of the ‘Peace, Unity, and Purity’ Report,’
the so called Louisville papers, and the failure of the PCUSA courts to
properly uphold the constitution. It was also the work of those who manipulated
the process.

I know the history of my own presbytery and I am convinced
that other presbyteries in some part followed Sacramento’s journey. I had just
become a commissioner from Fremont Presbyterian Church for Sacramento Presbytery as the PUP report began to
affect churches and presbyteries. Although the committee insisted it was not
local option it worked that way in our presbytery.

First of all Sacramento voted in several guidelines which
would have preserved our obedience to the authority of Scripture and helped the
churches continue as connected bodies. A minister filed a complaint and the
PJC of the Synod of the Pacific ruled against the Presbytery.

The same pastor who filed the complaint, David Thompson of
Westminster Presbyterian Church, then ordained two practicing gay men as ruling elders. And
remember this was after PUP but before any overture had been passed at either
the General Assembly or in the presbyteries to ordain LGBT persons. When the
presbytery asked a committee to look into the matter they ended up apologizing
to the church and Thompson. And made fun of those on the floor of the presbytery
who were upset over the church’s action.

At the 219th General Assembly, one of the gay
elders went as a commissioner and he was also the speaker during the presbytery
meeting when we voted for the overture that would defeat the fidelity and chastity
passage in the Book of Order. His argument for the day was not about the need for
LGBT equality but for those older people who found it too expensive to be married,
who he believed should be allowed to live together and still be elders in the
church. For the first time, with the help of PUP, Sacramento voted yes against fidelity
in marriage between a man and woman and chastity in singleness.

Somewhat earlier, 2006, but after the PUP report, the new moderator
of the PC (U.S.A.), Joan Grey, came to speak to our presbytery. At the time the
Layman had revealed some secret
papers about church property put together by the Office of the General Assembly.
They were draconian proposals meant to keep any church from leaving with their
property. During question and answer
time one of the pastors of a large church in our presbytery got up and asked
her what she thought of the Louisville Papers. She said she had not read them,
that she didn’t think they were important.

Grey did not see, but I saw the pastor’s face as he turned
away, it was white and grim. This was a church that cared for many young candidates
for ministry, guiding them with care, both spiritual and financial care. This was a church that participated in the
work of the Presbytery, with four pastors, two women and two men, their
questions to young candidates desiring to enter the ministry were always
biblical, kind and helpful.

And as they attempted to leave, alongside another large
church, with a gracious exit, once again David Thompson filed a complaint
against the presbytery for allowing the gracious exit. And Louisville guided
the process, through lawyers, in an unseemly way. PUP and the Louisville papers
created the damage. In the long run even the Presbytery would suffer.

What I am attempting to point out is that it was not failure
on the part of the orthodox of Sacramento presbytery, rather it was the
consistent push and manipulation of people to live unbiblical lives. It was a
persistent intention of some to compromise over issues that biblically cannot
be compromised. And it was dirty politics that only God can fix.

Above all it was a spiritual battle that God was
allowing, not to compromise the gospel, but to clarify it. When one carries the
righteousness of Christ one continuously puts aside, with the help of the Holy
Spirit, the false morality of the world. The denomination and the world need to
see that, even in the suffering of the saints.

Haberer believes the renewal groups and the orthodox in
general need to keep a four legged stool. Not only do they need prayer, praise
and worship, and proclamation, they need politics. I say no, it is too late for
that. And it is certainly wrong to live in peace with those who push a sinful lifestyle
as righteousness. In such a compromised denomination, one must live
prophetically proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus, the authority of God’s word,
the call of redemption and transformation, the need to walk in humbleness and
holiness.

The need is to insist, gently and kindly, that one will not
bless or ordain those who call sin righteousness but instead love with the kind
of love Jesus modeled; love but keep stating even to ourselves, “go and sin no
more.”

David Thompson, under an administrative commission, which
had nothing to do with the above history, renounced jurisdiction, founding a
religious organization that allowed all beliefs or no-beliefs. He went his own way.

Whether we go with the PC (USA) or to another part of Jesus’
Church, may we go in the only way there is, Jesus Christ, Lord.

Systemic dysfunction trains everyone in the system to serve the dysfunction. When a party threatens to leave the dysfunction, those who are trained by the dysfunction double down on efforts to keep all parties on board. When a party does leave, that party becomes the third-party enemy of those who remain. Who are the other two parties? One party is the group that agrees with the trajectory of the dysfunction. The other party, while sympathetic to the departing party, loathes the departing party's exit. Until the dysfunction is addressed, health only comes to the departing party.

thank you for your thoughtful response.Your wisdom has helped me process what is happeningin the PC USA. I have had a hard time understanding the group of people who want the Evangelicals to "get along"and remain in the midst of decisions that are opposed to everything we believe from Scripture as essential.Jack Haberer is one who pushes this and I have felt more frustration with the Outlook than even the most liberal advocates. I totally agree that the this is the line coming out of PUP that was damaging to our denomination. Thanks for your loving but firm response, that gives me an example of forbearance and understanding.

God's promises, they never fail

About Me

Writer, Lover of books, interested in the history of intellectual and religious ideas, tend with love gardens and grandchildren. My husband, Brad, is a Steinway Piano tuner. We live in a hundred year old house that always needs repairs.

Two Important Information Links

Two links that I visit often are CHURCHandWORLD and GAhelp.net. CHURCHandWORLD is a site that gathers either Presbyterian or Methodist news from the whole spectrum of viewpoints. The Presbyterian section is entitled Presbyweb. Beneath the denominational section is a general section containing the day's religious news gathered from many sites. This is a subscription site. The General Editor is Hans Cornelder.

GAhelp.net, set up by Robert Austell looks at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its uncertain future gathering articles which deal with the possibilities of tomorrow. Austell has compiled a great many articles and documents dealing with a changed constitution and changed ordination standards. Everyone’s hopes and fears have a hearing at this site.